Free Courses

Course Structure Guide

Each course lasts for 28 days. Each day has a Guide Page that is intended to provide a daily source of insight and consideration on the course topic. This style of structure was chosen becayse it promotes meaningful ideas to linger in the mind like a sweet piece of candy.

Guide pages include the progression scroll, course title, and course intro at the top to help individuals find their bearings. An open mind actively scans the bigger picture before selecting where to zoom in and focus. Supporting that behavior, the different sections of the guide pages are highlighted to make navigation easy and efficient. To an inquisitive mind, order is optional! -although highly recommended for some processes. 

Required content is labeled as such. Optional content is labeled too. Honestly, this entire course is optional! Participation is not mandatory, so what does required content really mean? Required content earns points and levels. These are the foundation of the Honor Roll system. No one is required to compete, still some people cannot help it!

As a self paced course, there is no official professor to reach out to, but staff are available in the Live Chat and Open Forums if needed. At DSVK Realities we promote information and learning. Popularity, unfortunately, is a quick way to close the mind. When it comes to the choice between knowledge or ego, our professors are always reaching to understand more than they did yesterday. Therefore authors of courses at DSVK Realities generally wish to remain anonymous.

On day 7, 14, 21, and 28 there is a specific optional content called "Week in Review". This is an opportunity for all participates to share their feedback. The goal is to allow for honest and open feedback about the course and its contents, therefore at least one member of staff attends each one. What is working well for us? What is not working at all? Is anything causing problems? And does anyone have an ideas for improving the course in the future? The staff member is there to write down feedback, answer questions, and provide guidance if needed.

Course Terms

Course Assessment - On the sixth day of the week, a course assessment is available to help individuals guage their course content retention. These can be found on the Guide Page under the Required Content section. There are four assessments in every course, and each are worth between 80 and 100 points. Between 8 to 10 questions on each assessment and generally speaking they can be completed in about 10 minutes or less. Some people take the assessments over and over, but a few of the assessments are designed to reflection pre-learning understanding, limiting them to one attempt. Like a camera, they are capturing the moment to re-examine at a later tme. Submitting an assessment sends a copy of it to the professor and the owner.

Course Assignment - There are between two and three course assignments every week. These can be found on the Guide Page under the Required Content section. The amount of points available is based on the complexity on an assignment, ranging from 20 points to 50 points. Generally they are writing based but not always. Details on what the assignment should contain, where to submit the assignment for points, and a grading rubric are listed on the course assignment page. Assignments are completed once, however individuals are always welcome to edit and update their assignments as they see fit. If we are not changing and evolving, what is the point?

Extra Credit - There are no set number of these available, yet the pattern is not random. Usually there are no points associated to these activities. When points are available, the details will include that information on the extra credit page. Some of these are writing, some involving creating artwork, some are games, and some are more of a personal nature All of them are designed to support the course content and possibly be a little fun as well.

Guide Page - Instead of a traditional syllabus, guide pages were created to organize material by individual days. This allows a course participate to focus on course content while taking their time. A day can take more or less tha 24 hours, depending on individual needs. Guide Pages start the beginning of each day and contain the Course Content, Notes from the Professor, the Optional Content, and the Required Content. They can be accessed several times and from different weeks. Going in order is highly recommended and reviewing when needed it always a good idea.

Honor Roll System - This system contains a list of every member that has signed up for the Open Forums. The members are ordered according to the amount of points they have earned. 1st place on the list goes to the participate with the most points. The list is updated periodically to reflect up to date information. Totals are not communicated directly to participates but they are always available to review. Questions and concerns are addressed by the staff. Levels are listed in the Honor Roll system as well and are earned by completing a full week of Required Content in any course. Completing all the Required Content in a single course earns that member 4 levels. Points do not impact levels, and levels do not impact points. 

Notes from the Professor - Every course can have notes left behind by the original professor and author. Although they wish to remain anonymous, some of them have chosen to share their personal insights throughout their course material. These appear on the Guide Pages and are usually associated to the Course Content in one way or another. Sometimes it helps to see the information through the eyes of the author. Other times, it is just entertaining.

Optional Content - These are suggestions, games, competitions, challenges, and puzzles. The purpose is to provide entertainment while giving direction and diving deeper on a topic. Usually there are no points associated to these activities, but once in a while a few points are awarded for completing a challenge or winning a competition. Completing these activities does not impact a member's level.

Required Content - These are assignments, assessments, engagements, and projects. The purpose is to provide a use case where understanding the course content or learning the course content can be utilized. These make up a large majority of the points that a member can collect for the Honor Roll System. All assignments explain in detail how to obtain all the points associated to them. Saving a copy of any assignments or work should be done on a local device and is highly recommended.

'Week in Review" - These are one hour meetings that take place once a week for all courses. These meetings are not required but can earn points in the Honor Roll System. The goal is to provide members the time and place to give their feedback on the course materials they are reviewing. Staying accurate and update is important, and listening to member feedback supports this. 

Course Points

Points are accumulated for different reasons and activities. See the table below for specifics. In order to ensure your points are successfully secured, name your Course Assignment submission the same name as the Course Assignment. Some people add their name at the end, and that is acceptable. In you are logged into the Open Forums when you submit your assignment, it will populate under your user account making it easier for staff to find. Instructions for where to submit your work are listed on the associated content page. If you have questions, always feel free to reach out to a member of staff.